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At least 1,243 records · Page 69
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

Spectral ellipsometry as a method for characterization of nanosized films with ferromagnetic layers

Nanosized films with ferromagnetic layers are widely used in nanoelectronics, sensor systems and telecommunications. Their properties may strongly differ from those of bulk materials that is on account of interfaces, intermediate layers and diffusion. In the present work, spectral ellipsometry and magnetooptical methods are adapted for characterization of the optical parameters and magnetization processes in two- and three-layer Cr/NiFe, Al/NiFe and Cr(Al)/Ge/NiFe films onto a sitall substrate for various thicknesses of Cr and Al layers. At a layer thickness below 20 nm, the complex refractive coefficients depend pronouncedly on the thickness. In two-layer films, remagnetization changes weakly over a thickness of the top layer, but the coercive force in three-layer films increases by more than twice upon remagnetization, while increasing the top layer thickness from 4 to 20 nm.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1983

X-ray observations of the Antennae /NGC 4038/39/

The merging galaxies NGC 4038/39 were observed with the imaging proportional counter onboard the Einstein Observatory on two separate occasions, 12 months apart. The X-ray map seems to follow the optical contour of the two 'heads', although a softer X-ray component with a different spatial distribution might be present. The harder component is interpreted as being due to the integrated emission of single X-ray sources (like SNRs and X-ray binaries) in the two interacting galaxies. A harder point-like source might also be present in the contact region. The softer component could be thermal emission of gas heated by the interaction between NGC 4038 and NGC 4039. Moreover, a significant difference was observed between the two exposures. An additional X-ray source is present in the first image, but not in the second. If this source is associated with the Antennae, it could be either a very bright X-ray transient or a recent, optically undetected supernova.

Fabbiano, G.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Optical Evaluation of Digital Micromirror Devices (DMDs) with UV-Grade Fused Silica, Sapphire, and Magnesium Fluoride Windows and Longterm Reflectance of Bare Devices

Digital micromirror devices (DMDs) are commercial micro-electromechanical systems, consisting of millions of mirrors which can be individually addressed and tilted into one of two states (+/-12deg). These devices were developed to create binary patterns in video projectors, in the visible range. Commercially available DMDs are hermetically sealed and extremely reliable. Recently, DMDs have been identified as an alternative to microshutter arrays for space-based multi-object spectrometers (MOS). Specifically, the MOS at the heart of the proposed Galactic Evolution Spectroscopic Explorer (GESE) uses the DMD as a reprogrammable slit mask. Unfortunately, the protective borosilicate windows limit the use of DMDs in the UV and IR regimes, where the glass has insufficient throughput. In this work, we present our efforts to replace standard DMD windows with custom windows made from UV-grade fused silica, low-absorption optical sapphire (LAOS) and magnesium fluoride (MgF2). We present transmission measurements of the antireflection coated windows and the reflectance of bare (window removed) DMDs. Furthermore, we investigated the long-term stability of the DMD reflectance and experiments for coating DMD active area with a layer of pure aluminum (Al) to boost reflectance performance in the UV spectral range (200−400 nm).

reflectance↗
DOE OSTI2010

AN EXTENDED GRID OF NOVA MODELS. III. VERY LUMINOUS, RED NOVAE

Extremely luminous, red eruptive variables like RV in M31 are being suggested as exemplars of a new class of astrophysical objects. Our greatly extended series of nova simulations shows that classical nova models can produce very red, luminous eruptions. In a poorly studied corner of three-dimensional nova parameter space (very cold, low-mass white dwarfs, accreting at very low rates) we find bona fide classical novae that are very luminous and red because they eject very slowly moving, massive envelopes. A crucial prediction of these nova models-in contrast to the predictions of merging star ('mergeburst') models-is that a hot remnant, the underlying white dwarf, will emerge after the massive ejected envelope has expanded enough to become optically thin. This blue remnant must fade on a timescale of decades-much faster than a 'mergeburst', which must fade on timescales of millennia or longer. Furthermore, the cooling nova white dwarf and its expanding ejecta must become redder in the years after eruption, while a contracting mergeburst must become hotter and bluer. We predict that red novae will always brighten to L {approx} 1000 L{sub sun} for about one year before rising to the maximum luminosity at L {approx} 10{sup 6}-10{sup 7} L{sub sun}. The maximum luminosity attainable by a nova is likely to be L {approx} 10{sup 7} L{sub sun}, corresponding to M {approx} -12. In an accompanying paper, we describe a fading, luminous blue candidate for the remnant of M31-RV; it is observed with the Hubble Space Telescope to be compatible only with the nova model.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

15.9% organic tandem solar cell with extended near-infrared absorption

Stacking single-junction organic solar cells is effective in increasing the power conversion efficiency (PCE) by reducing the thermalization loss and increasing the open circuit voltage. Current developments of non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) offer a range of materials whose energy gaps are suited for absorbing relatively narrow slices of the solar spectrum, thus easing requirements for current balance between sub-elements in the multijunction stacks. In this report, we demonstrate a solution-processed tandem organic solar cell comprising a binary, visible-absorbing sub-cell and a ternary near-infrared (NIR) absorbing sub-cell. The ternary NIR sub-cell utilizes a narrow energy gap NFA acceptor that enables a broadened and increased absorption compared to a binary NIR sub-cell. An isopropanol surface treatment is developed to connect the hydrophilichydrophobic surfaces in the charge recombination zone (CRZ) located between the sub-cells. The nearly optically and electrically lossless CRZ combined with an anti-reflection coating results in a tandem OPV with PCE = 15.9 ± 0.2 % under AM 1.5G simulated illumination.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2010

ADIABATIC MASS LOSS IN BINARY STARS. I. COMPUTATIONAL METHOD

The asymptotic response of donor stars in interacting binary systems to very rapid mass loss is characterized by adiabatic expansion throughout their interiors. In this limit, energy generation and heat flow through the stellar interior can be neglected. We model this response by constructing model sequences, beginning with a donor star filling its Roche lobe at an arbitrary point in its evolution, holding its specific entropy and composition profiles fixed as mass is removed from the surface. The stellar interior remains in hydrostatic equilibrium. Luminosity profiles in these adiabatic models of mass-losing stars can be reconstructed from the specific entropy profiles and their gradients. These approximations are validated by comparison with time-dependent binary mass transfer calculations. We describe how adiabatic mass-loss sequences can be used to quantify threshold conditions for dynamical timescale mass transfer, and to establish the range of post-common envelope binaries that are allowed energetically. In dynamical timescale mass transfer, the adiabatic response of the donor star drives it to expand beyond its Roche lobe, leading to runaway mass transfer and the formation of a common envelope with its companion star. For donor stars with surface convection zones of any significant depth, this runaway condition is encountered early in mass transfer, if at all; but for main-sequence stars with radiative envelopes, it may be encountered after a prolonged phase of thermal timescale mass transfer, a so-called delayed dynamical instability. We identify the critical binary mass ratio for the onset of dynamical timescale mass transfer as that ratio for which the adiabatic response of the donor star radius to mass loss matches that of its Roche lobe at some point during mass transfer; if the ratio of donor to accretor masses exceeds this critical value, dynamical timescale mass transfer ensues. In common envelope evolution, the dissipation of orbital energy of the binary provides the energy to eject the common envelope; the energy budget for this process consists essentially of the initial orbital energy of the binary and the initial self-energies of the binary components. We emphasize that, because the stellar core and envelope contribute mutually to each other's gravitational potential energy, proper evaluation of the total energy of a star requires integration over the entire stellar interior, and not just over the ejected envelope alone as commonly assumed. We show that the change in total energy of the donor star, as a function of its remaining mass along an adiabatic mass-loss sequence, can be calculated either by integration over initial and final models, or by a path integral along the mass-loss sequence. That change in total energy of the donor star, combined with the requirement that both remnant donor and its companion star fit within their respective Roche lobes, then circumscribes energetically possible survivors of common envelope evolution.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2010

COLA. III. RADIO DETECTION OF ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS IN COMPACT MODERATE LUMINOSITY INFRARED GALAXIES

We present results from 4.8 GHz Very Large Array (VLA) and global very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations of the northern half of the moderate FIR luminosity (median L{sub IR} = 10{sup 11.01} L{sub sun}) COLA sample of star-forming galaxies. VLBI sources are detected in a high fraction (20/90) of the galaxies observed. The radio luminosities of these cores ({approx}10{sup 21} W Hz{sup -1}) are too large to be explained by radio supernovae or supernova remnants and we argue that they are instead powered by active galactic nuclei (AGNs). These sub-parsec scale radio cores are preferentially detected toward galaxies whose VLA maps show bright 100-500 parsec scale nuclear radio components. Since these latter structures tightly follow the FIR to radio-continuum correlation for star formation, we conclude that the AGN-powered VLBI sources are associated with compact nuclear starburst environments. The implications for possible starburst-AGN connections are discussed. The detected VLBI sources have a relatively narrow range of radio luminosity consistent with models in which intense compact Eddington-limited starbursts regulate the gas supply onto a central supermassive black hole. The high incidence of AGN radio cores in compact starbursts suggests little or no delay between the starburst phase and the onset of AGN activity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2010

SUZAKU X-RAY SPECTRA AND PULSE PROFILE VARIATIONS DURING THE SUPERORBITAL CYCLE OF LMC X-4

We present results from spectral and temporal analyses of Suzaku and RXTE observations of the high-mass X-ray binary LMC X-4. Using the full 13 years of available RXTE/all-sky monitor data, we apply the ANOVA and Lomb Normalized Periodogram methods to obtain an improved superorbital period measurement of 30.32 {+-} 0.04 days. The phase-averaged X-ray spectra from Suzaku observations during the high state of the superorbital period can be modeled in the 0.6-50 keV band as the combination of a power law with {Gamma} {approx} 0.6 and a high-energy cutoff at {approx}25 keV, a blackbody with kT {sub BB} {approx} 0.18 keV, and emission lines from Fe K{sub {alpha}}, O VIII, and Ne IX (X Ly{alpha}). Assuming a distance of 50 kpc, the source has luminosity L {sub X} {approx} 3 x 10{sup 38} erg s{sup -1} in the 2-50 keV band, and the luminosity of the soft (blackbody) component is L {sub BB} {approx} 1.5 x 10{sup 37} erg s{sup -1}. The energy-resolved pulse profiles show single-peaked soft (0.5-1 keV) and hard (6-10 keV) pulses but a more complex pattern of medium (2-10 keV) pulses; cross-correlation of the hard with the soft pulses shows a phase shift that varies between observations. We interpret these results in terms of a picture in which a precessing disk reprocesses the hard X-rays and produces the observed soft spectral component, as has been suggested for the similar sources Her X-1 and SMC X-1.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

YSOVAR: THE FIRST SENSITIVE, WIDE-AREA, MID-INFRARED PHOTOMETRIC MONITORING OF THE ORION NEBULA CLUSTER

We present initial results from time-series imaging at infrared wavelengths of 0.9 deg{sup 2} in the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC). During Fall 2009 we obtained 81 epochs of Spitzer 3.6 and 4.5 {mu}m data over 40 consecutive days. We extracted light curves with {approx}3% photometric accuracy for {approx}2000 ONC members ranging from several solar masses down to well below the hydrogen-burning mass limit. For many of the stars, we also have time-series photometry obtained at optical (I{sub c} ) and/or near-infrared (JK{sub s}) wavelengths. Our data set can be mined to determine stellar rotation periods, identify new pre-main-sequence eclipsing binaries, search for new substellar Orion members, and help better determine the frequency of circumstellar disks as a function of stellar mass in the ONC. Our primary focus is the unique ability of 3.6 and 4.5 {mu}m variability information to improve our understanding of inner disk processes and structure in the Class I and II young stellar objects (YSOs). In this paper, we provide a brief overview of the YSOVAR Orion data obtained in Fall 2009 and highlight our light curves for AA-Tau analogs-YSOs with narrow dips in flux, most probably due to disk density structures passing through our line of sight. Detailed follow-up observations are needed in order to better quantify the nature of the obscuring bodies and what this implies for the structure of the inner disks of YSOs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Binarity and the abundance discrepancy problem in planetary nebulae

The discrepancy between abundances computed using optical recombination lines and collisionally excited lines is a major unresolved problem in nebular astrophysics. Here, we show that the largest abundance discrepancies are reached in planetary nebulae with close binary central stars. We illustrate this using deep spectroscopy of three nebulae with a post common-envelope (CE) binary star. Abell 46 and Ou 5 have O{sup 2+}/H{sup +} abundance discrepancy factors larger than 50, and as high as 300 in the inner regions of Abell 46. Abell 63 has a smaller discrepancy factor around 10, which is still above the typical values in ionized nebulae. Our spectroscopic analysis supports previous conclusions that, in addition to “standard” hot (T{sub e} ∼ 10{sup 4} K) gas, there exists a colder (T{sub e} ∼ 10{sup 3} K), ionized component that is highly enriched in heavy elements. These nebulae have low ionized masses, between 10{sup −3} and 10{sup −1} M{sub ⊙} depending on the adopted electron densities and temperatures. Since the much more massive red giant envelope is expected to be entirely ejected in the CE phase, the currently observed nebulae would be produced much later, during post-CE mass loss episodes when the envelope has already dispersed. These observations add constraints to the abundance discrepancy problem. We revise possible explanations. Some explanations are naturally linked to binarity such as, for instance, high-metallicity nova ejecta, but it is difficult at this stage to depict an evolutionary scenario consistent with all of the observed properties. We also introduce the hypothesis that these nebulae are the result of tidal destruction, accretion, and ejection of Jupiter-like planets.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

A hard X-ray study of the ultraluminous X-ray source NGC 5204 X-1 with NuSTAR and XMM-Newton

We present the results from coordinated X-ray observations of the ultraluminous X-ray source NGC 5204 X-1 performed by the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array and XMM-Newton in early 2013. These observations provide the first detection of NGC 5204 X-1 above 10 keV, extending the broadband coverage to 0.3−20 keV. The observations were carried out in two epochs separated by approximately 10 days, and showed little spectral variation with an observed luminosity of L{sub X}=(4.95±0.11)×10{sup 39} erg s{sup −1}. The broadband spectrum robustly confirms the presence of a clear spectral downturn above 10 keV seen in some previous observations. This cutoff is inconsistent with the standard low/hard state seen in Galactic black hole binaries, as would be expected from an intermediate-mass black hole accreting at significantly sub-Eddington rates given the observed luminosity. The continuum is apparently dominated by two optically thick thermal-like components, potentially accompanied by a faint high-energy tail. The broadband spectrum is likely associated with an accretion disk that differs from a standard Shakura and Sunyaev thin disk.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2010

WAVELETS WITH RIDGES: A HIGH-RESOLUTION REPRESENTATION OF CATACLYSMIC VARIABLE TIME SERIES

Quasi-periodic oscillations (QPO) and dwarf nova oscillations (DNOs) occur in dwarf novae and nova-like variables during outburst and occasionally during quiescence, and have analogs in high-mass X-ray binaries and black-hole candidates. The frequent low coherence of quasi-period oscillations and DNOs can make detection with standard time-series tools such as periodograms problematic. This paper develops tools to analyze quasi-periodic brightness oscillations. We review the use of time-frequency representations (TFRs) in the astronomical literature, and show that representations such as the Choi-Williams distribution and Zhao-Atlas-Marks representation, which are best suited to high signal-to-noise data, cannot be assumed a priori to be the best techniques for our data, which have a much higher noise level and lower coherence. This leads us to a detailed analysis of the time-frequency resolution and statistical properties of six TFRs. We conclude that the wavelet scalogram, with the addition of wavelet ridges and maxima points, is the most effective TFR for analyzing quasi-periodicities in low signal-to-noise data, as it has high time-frequency resolution, and is a minimum variance estimator. We use the wavelet ridges method to re-analyze archival data from VW Hyi, and find 62 new QPOs and 7 new long-period DNOs. Relative to previous analyses, our method substantially improves the detection rate for QPOs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2010

HIGH-CONTRAST 3.8 {mu}m IMAGING OF THE BROWN DWARF/PLANET-MASS COMPANION TO GJ 758

We present L'-band (3.8 {mu}m) MMT/Clio high-contrast imaging data for the nearby star GJ 758, which was recently reported by Thalmann et al. to have one -- possibly two -- faint comoving companions (GJ 758B and 'C', respectively). GJ 758B is detected in two distinct data sets. Additionally, we report a possible detection of the object identified by Thalmann et al. as 'GJ 758C' in our more sensitive data set, though it is likely a residual speckle. However, if it is the same object as that reported by Thalmann et al. it cannot be a companion in a bound orbit. GJ 758B has an H - L' color redder than nearly all known L-T8 dwarfs. Based on comparisons with the COND evolutionary models, GJ 758B has T {sub e} {approx} 560 K{sup +150K}{sub -90 K}{sup +150 K) and a mass ranging from {approx}10-20 M{sub J} if it is {approx}1 Gyr old to {approx} 25-40 M{sub J} if it is 8.7 Gyr old. GJ 758B is likely in a highly eccentric orbit, e {approx} 0.73{sup +0.12}{sub -0.21}, with a semimajor axis of {approx}44 AU{sup +32 AU){sub -14 AU}. Though GJ 758B is sometimes discussed within the context of exoplanet direct imaging, its mass is likely greater than the deuterium-burning limit and its formation may resemble that of binary stars rather than that of Jovian-mass planets.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

The Red Supergiant Content of M31 and M33

We identify red supergiants (RSGs) in our spiral neighbors M31 and M33 using near-IR (NIR) photometry complete to a luminosity limit of logL/L{sub ⊙}=4.0. Our archival survey data cover 5 deg{sup 2} of M31, and 3 deg{sup 2} for M33, and are likely spatially complete for these massive stars. Gaia is used to remove foreground stars, after which the RSGs can be separated from asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars in the color–magnitude diagram. The photometry is used to derive effective temperatures and bolometric luminosities via MARCS stellar atmosphere models. The resulting H-R diagrams show superb agreement with the evolutionary tracks of the Geneva evolutionary group. Our census includes 6400 RSGs in M31 and 2850 RSGs in M33 within their Holmberg radii; by contrast, only a few hundred RSGs are known so far in the Milky Way. Our catalog serves as the basis for a study of the RSG binary frequency being published separately, as well as future studies relating to the evolution of massive stars. Here we use the matches between the NIR-selected RSGs and their optical counterparts to show that the apparent similarity in the reddening of OB stars in M31 and M33 is the result of Malmquist bias; the average extinction in M31 is likely higher than that of M33. As expected, the distribution of RSGs follows that of the spiral arms, while the much older AGB population is more uniformly spread across each galaxy’s disk.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
NASA NTRS1998

SAMS Acceleration Measurements on Mir (NASA Increment 4)

During NASA Increment 4 (January to May 1997), about 5 gigabytes of acceleration data were collected by the Space Acceleration Measurements System (SAMS) onboard the Russian Space Station, Mir. The data were recorded on 28 optical disks which were returned to Earth on STS-84. During this increment, SAMS data were collected in the Priroda module to support the Mir Structural Dynamics Experiment (MiSDE), the Binary Colloidal Alloy Tests (BCAT), Angular Liquid Bridge (ALB), Candle Flames in Microgravity (CFM), Diffusion Controlled Apparatus Module (DCAM), Enhanced Dynamic Load Sensors (EDLS), Forced Flow Flame Spreading Test (FFFr), Liquid Metal Diffusion (LMD), Protein Crystal Growth in Dewar (PCG/Dewar), Queen's University Experiments in Liquid Diffusion (QUELD), and Technical Evaluation of MIM (TEM). This report points out some of the salient features of the microgravity environment to which these experiments were exposed. Also documented are mission events of interest such as the docked phase of STS-84 operations, a Progress engine bum, Soyuz vehicle docking and undocking, and Progress vehicle docking. This report presents an overview of the SAMS acceleration measurements recorded by 10 Hz and 100 Hz sensor heads. The analyses included herein complement those presented in previous summary reports prepared by the Principal Investigator Microgravity Services (PIMS) group.

DeLombard, Richard↗
NASA NTRS1998

SAMS Acceleration Measurements on Mir From January to May 1997 (NASA Increment 4)

During NASA Increment 4 (January to May 1997), about 5 gigabytes of acceleration data were collected by the Space Acceleration Measurements System (SAMS) onboard the Russian Space Station, Mir. The data were recorded on 28 optical disks which were returned to Earth on STS-84. During this increment, SAMS data were collected in the Priroda module to support the Mir Structural Dynamics Experiment (MiSDE), the Binary Colloidal Alloy Tests (BCAT), Angular Liquid Bridge (ALB), Candle Flames in Microgravity (CFM), Diffusion Controlled Apparatus Module (DCAM), Enhanced Dynamic Load Sensors (EDLS), Forced Flow Flame Spreading Test (FFFT), Liquid Metal Diffusion (LMD), Protein Crystal Growth in Dewar (PCG/Dewar), Queen's University Experiments in Liquid Diffusion (QUELD), and Technical Evaluation of MIM (TEM). This report points out some of the salient features of the microgravity environment to which these experiments were exposed. Also documented are mission events of interest such as the docked phase of STS-84 operations, a Progress engine burn, Soyuz vehicle docking and undocking, and Progress vehicle docking. This report presents an overview of the SAMS acceleration measurements recorded by 10 Hz and 100 Hz sensor heads. The analyses included herein complement those presented in previous summary reports prepared by the Principal Investigator Microgravity Services (PIMS) group.

DeLombard, Richard↗
NASA NTRS2000

BOREAS TE-18 Landsat TM Physical Classification Image of the SSA

The BOREAS TE-18 team focused its efforts on using remotely sensed data to characterize the successional and disturbance dynamics of the boreal forest for use in carbon modeling. The objective of this classification is to provide the BOREAS investigators with a data product that characterizes the land cover of the SSA. A Landsat-5 TM image from 02-Sep-1994 was used to derive the classification. A technique was implemented that uses reflectances of various land cover types along with a geometric optical canopy model to produce spectral trajectories. These trajectories are used as training data to classify the image into the different land cover classes. These data are provided in a binary image file format. The data files are available on a CD-ROM (see document number 20010000884), or from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Distributed Activity Archive Center (DAAC).

Hall, Forrest G.↗